StarPal Field Test Report  -  January 2010
Low Cost Windows Netbook Computers
with StarPal HGIS® GPS Mapping Software
Get a Netbook Computer and 3 meter accuracyNote 1 for around US$400.
This report also applies to Notebooks, Laptops, and Tablets running Windows "7" or XP.

StarPal has tested and recommends low cost "Mini / Netbook" Windows computers available from Hewlett Packard, Dell, Acer, and others running Windows 7 or XP (not Vista). Please read below for things to look for when selecting a Netbook, Tablet, Notebook, or Laptop computer. These computers are not waterproof, so are best suited for a vehicle with a cab (Put your GPS outside on the roof so it gets a full view of the sky). We have listed everything we did to set up the computer - software installed, drivers, settings, etc. We do not sell computers or GPS receivers, so our reports are not biased.

Configuration Tested

Test Notes:
 Protocols
GlobalSAT BU-353
10' USB Extension Cable
  (3 mtr accuracy-roof)
(9 mtr accuracy-dashboard)
 HGIS before v9.25 will display GPS FRAMING
error once(with some GPS drivers). Click OK/Yes.
HGIS after v9.25 will ignore GlobalSAT driver error.
Manually install GPS driver (using a USB CD Drive).
(Note: Garmin USB GPS does not support HGIS.)

Computer, USB Cable, and GPS about US$370.
 NMEA
SIRF
GlobalSAT BT-335
(Bluetooth GPS)
Targus USB Bluetooth 2.0
(3 mtr accuracy-roof)
(9 mtr accuracy-dashboard)
GlobalSAT BT-359 GPS is similar.
If you order a custom Mini., Bluetooth can be built-in.
(Note: Bluetooth Adaptors may not work
with Garmin GPS10 Bluetooth GPS.
GPS10 has older Bluetooth firmware incompatible
with the "Dongle" Bluetooth firmware.)
Computer, Bluetooth, and GPS about US$390.
 NMEA
SIRF
RS232 Serial GPS
EdgePort / 1
USB-Serial Adaptor
Any RS232 GPS that supports NMEA, TSIP, or SIRF
protocol will work in this configuration (Trimble shown)
We recommend EdgePort USB Serial Adapters(See text).
(Some GPS may support additonal protocols and
features that use those other protocols may be unavailable)

Computer and RS232 port about US$390 (GPS not included).
 NMEA
SIRF
TSIP
LOW COST
Geo-Physical
Data Collection
USB GPS
EdgePort /  1
USB-Serial Adaptor
Use both USB GPS (3 meter if on roof) and
 USB Serial Adaptor to log Geophysical Data
from an RS-232 Sensor(EC Meter, etc.).
(Also works with Bluetooth GPS above.)
(requires HGIS PRO)
Computer, GPS, and RS232 port about US$450.
 NMEA
SIRF
TSIP
Geo-Physical
Data Collection
Trimble Submeter GPS
EdgePort / 2
USB-Serial Adaptor
1 and 2 port EdgePort Adaptors use 500 mw USB power.
4, 8, or 16 port EdgePort adaptors do not use USB power
(they use a separate power supply).
(requires HGIS PRO)
Computer, Submeter GPS, and RS232 ports about US$3000.
(Yes, the cost for submeter goes up fast.)
 		NMEA
SIRF
TSIP


Tested HP Mini Configuration: Tested Acer Configuration
Model: HP Mini 1116NR (1.6 GHz) Model: Acer "Aspire One"
16GB Solid State Drive (SSD), 1GB RAM 160 GB Hard Drive(HDD), 1GB RAM
Microsoft Windows XP Home (SP3) Windows "7" Starter 32 bit
8.9" Diagonal Anti-glare Display (1024x600 pixel) 10.1" Diagonal LED/LCD (1024x600)
(2) USB slots - (1 used for GPS, 1 spare) (3) USB slots - (1 used for GPS, 2 spare)
8.2.11b/g (Wi-Fi or WLAN),  Ethernet
 8.2.11b/g (Wi-Fi or WLAN),  Ethernet
(1) SD/MMC Media Slot (up to 32 GByte Storage Cards) (1) SD/MMC Media Slot (up to 32 GByte Storage Cards)
3 Cell Li-ion standard battery (26 Watt-Hour) 3 Cell Li-ion standard battery (26 Watt-Hour)
Suggested Retail Price: US$299 Suggested Retail Price: US$299
Positives:
2.5 pounds
Solid State Drive (SDD)
5 times faster than Windows Mobile 5/6
Keys Larger than Acer (by 1/32 inch)
More rugged than Laptops / iPaqs
 Positives:
Feels nice
2.1 pounds
7 times faster than Windows Mobile 5/6
Larger Display than HP (and Adjustable Brightness)
Mousepad was intuitive, easy to use.
Windows "7" better than Vista, and equal to XP.
Negatives:
Not Waterproof
I never got used to the Mousepad.
Only (2) USB ports, required swapping devices.
 Negatives:
Hard Disk Drive sensitive to temperature, shock
Not Waterproof

Things to look for:
Windows "7" or Windows XP Home SP3  (Some netbooks come installed with Linux or DOS.  HGIS only runs on Netbooks running Windows XP/Vista/"7".)
1024x600 display or larger (HGIS will run on a smaller displays, but other applications may not work correctly with 1024x576 display on some Netbook computers.)
Solid State Drive(SSD) is more rugged and will last longer in a mobile environment than 2.5" Hard Disk Drive(HDD) in some Netbook computers.
Multiple SD or SDHC Flash cards can provide plenty of additional storage when needed.
When custom ordered, Bluetooth option may be available built-in.
RAM 1 GByte Minimum - 2 GByte Maximum (some older units only had 512MByte RAM).

POSITIVES
Netbooks feel very nice. They weigh 2.0-2.5 pounds, and have real processing power (1.6 GHz) and enough RAM to run HGIS. They run 5 times faster than Windows Mobile using Solid State Drives(SSD). Hard Disk Drives(HDD) are faster and larger, but are not as rugged.  Hard Disk Drives are not recommended because they are not as rugged, and Solid State Drives are fast enough for running HGIS and have adequate storage.   Your local computer store may be able to replace an HDD with an SDD (recommended for rugged environments).  You can open much larger images in HGIS than with Windows Mobile. Keyboards are not bad (90% full size). With a 1 GByte RAM module, HGIS has about 6 times the RAM available compared to Windows Mobile computers using 128 MByte RAM (You don't want older Windows Mobile computers that have only 64 MBytes RAM).

NEGATIVES
Netbooks are not waterproof.  They are more rugged than the Laptops (and most  iPaqs) we have tested, but not as rugged as computers from Trimble or Juniper Systems.  Battery life is 2.5 hours standard, can be increased to 10 hours with optional batteries. Can also run on external power. The built-in camera is not worth mentioning.

POWER REQUIREMENTS
Internal Battery
 (+) External Power Connection
 Run Time(when new)
3 cell (Standard) none
 2.5 hours
 3 cell (Standard) 60 Watt-Hour(WH) 19 volt
Universal External Laptop battery
8 hours
(leave internal
battery installed)
 External DC (19 volts @ 1.9 Amps)
(36 watts maximum, 11 watts typical)		 unlimited
(leave internal
battery installed)		 External AC Power
(45 watts maximum, 15 watts typical)		 unlimited

The internal 3 cell standard battery is rated at 26 Watt-Hours. The computer running HGIS actively logging GPS Data every second consumed 10.4 watts (measured at full brightness with default Laptop Power Management). If you use your own power plug, you may need to shave the plastic plug with a knife to allow it to insert completely into the DC power jack without interfering with the HP Mini's case.  Li-ion batteries will lose capacity over time and fail completely within about 3 years or 300 recharges (whichever comes first).  When using external power, leave the internal battery in place to power the unit during power glitches (which happen when starting an engine, for example). All tested configurations (except 4, 8, and 16 port Serial adaptors) use computer USB power which will shorten run times 5%. (Typical USB port consumption ~500 mw.)

STORAGE MEMORY
The computers were tested with 1GBytes RAM, and an SD slot where you can add up to 32GBytes of Flash Memory.  This is enough for all HGIS GPS Mapping Applications and most HGIS Image Viewing Applications as well.  You could also use Jump USB Flash drives. You should not notice much difference between 1-2 GBytes of RAM unless running multiple applications at the same time (occasionally the computer may freeze for a second usually when starting applications and more often with SSD modules. This has not been an annoyance during our tests.)

RECOMMENDED SOFTWARE TO INSTALL (Wi-Fi or Ethernet LAN used for all downloads.)
Allow one-half day for Windows to download high priority updates and bug fixes (overnight if on dialup). 
All other software installation and configuration is easily accomplished in one-half day.
"Norton Removal Tool" (free from symantec.com) to uninstall Norton AntiVirus "Activate Now" nag-ware ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/removal_tools/Norton_Removal_Tool.exe
AVG Free Virus Scanner (free from http://free.avg.com) after running Norton Removal Tool (Alternative is Microsoft  Security Essentials)
Zone Alarm (free from www.zonealarm.com) the best Firewall Program. (Alternative is Microsoft  Security Essentials)
Windows Updates (our unit needed 40 Microsoft Hi Priority updates out of the box, took >4 hours to download. The slowest part.)
HGIS from http://www.starpal.com (The easiest part, 5 minutes to download, install, and activate.)
Firefox Web Browser (free from  http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/personal.html ) Strongly recommended substitute for Internet Explorer.
Windows Defender (free from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/default.mspx ) searches for spyware and adware (unnecessary with Win7).
Windows automatically downloaded (from the internet) all drivers used in our test (except the GlobalSat USB GPS driver which had to be manually installed).
No software interefered with any other software (Antivirus programs will interfere with each other if multiple Antivirus programs are installed at the same time).

CONFIGURATION CHANGES MADE
Control Panel...Power Options...
    Set System Standby to Never. 
    Set System Hibernate to Never.
    Turn Off display after 1 minute (Valid GPS fix overrides this setting, so only applies when GPS is off..)
    Turn Off Drives after 3 minutes.
Taskbar...Properties...Auto-Hide (to show more visible screen in HGIS).
File Explorer...Tools...Folder...Options... (Uncheck) Hide extensions for known file types, so full filenames are displayed.

HGIS PRO (SensorTrack)
We tested the HP Mini using a USB GPS with (2) Geophysical Sensors logging 50 Records/Second (combined) to a TXT file using the EdgePort / 2 USB Serial Adaptor.  During the first minute, there were occasional delays in the data (up to 0.4 seconds) until the Mini got its RAM and SDD organized (2GByte RAM works better when collecting geophysical data faster than 10 Records/Second). After one minute, data delays were less then 0.1 seconds (this could cause very minor GPS interpolation errors in the data if using a submeter GPS and travelling faster than 20 mph ). Note by comparison, a high end Laptop can collect 100+ Sensor Records/Second with data delays around 0.05 seconds. For most SensorTrack applications (1 to 10 Records/Second and a 3 meter GPS), the Mini is preferred over a high end Laptop.


TEST CONCLUSION
GlobalSAT GPS receivers worked well in our tests when they had a clear view of the entire horizon, and we rate them at 3 meter accuracy.  The above chart was created with a Trimble, but  is applicable as this test uses the same GPS Chip as the newer GlobalSAT GPS Receivers mentioned here (Sirf*III GPS Chip).  You can see that the number of satellites the GPS sees is most important.  None of the Garmin GPS receviers we tried worked with these units (Note: we like the Garmin GPS with the HP iPaqs).  We expect the HP Mini to last longer in a typical field application than a high end Laptop (but not as long as a ruggedized handheld computer).

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES DISCUSSED
a) GlobalSAT BU-353 GPS (around US$50) 3 meter accuracy if on your roof (10' USB Extension cable needed, around US$7.)
b) GlobalSAT BT-335 Bluetooth GPS (BT-359 is similar, around US$60) 3 meter accuracy if on your roof
c) Targus USB Bluetooth 2.0 Adaptor, or similar available at most computer stores (around US$30) (The HP Mini may also be custom ordered with Bluetooth built-in.)
d) EdgePort USB Serial Adapters (1-16 port)  (start around US$90) available from http://www.bb-elec.com
    We have tested cheaper USB-Serial Adapters, but haven't found any as reliable as this one.
e)12 volt to 120 volt Power Inverter, 50 watt or larger (available at any electronics store) or
f) Laptop Power Adaptor (60 Watt model available at Radio Shack)
g) 19 volt Universal External Laptop Battery (60 Watt-Hour or larger) available on-line. Adds 6 hours extra run time.
h) StarPal RS232 Mini-tester helps debug problems with your RS232 GPS, cables, settings, or power. http://www.starpal.com

Note 1: We test GPS Receivers to their "2dRMS-95% Horizontal Error". If the GPS has a complete view of the sky, this means that 19 GPS measurements out of 20 will be within the specified distance. GPS manufacturers may use specifications that sound similar (for example "2D-RMS"); however this specification means that 2 measurements out of 3 are within the specified distance (not 19 of 20). This is why you may see GPS receivers listed in this report referred to elsewhere as "2 meter" GPS receivers. Always look for the 95% in the GPS specification to be sure. If on the roof with a clear view of the horizon (above 15 degrees) all the way around, all SIRF*III GPS receivers we have tested meet our specification of "3 meters 2dRMS-95% horizontal error". If you put a SIRF*III GPS on your vehicle dashboard, it instantly becomes a 9 meter GPS.  Your choice.

We hope this report helps in your computer hardware decisions.
Copyright 2009-2010, StarPal, Inc  -- All Rights Reserved.
http://www.starpal.com